Spabxing device fob explosive-blsrchites



H. F. McCRAY. SPARKING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE FNGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. I918- Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

IIIIII'HHHI H4 3 "provement in Sparkin BABY I. HOCRAY, 01' RENO,

SPABKING DEVICE FOR EIPLOSIVE-EHGDTES.

Application filed June 10,1818. Serial 10. 239,880.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, HARRY F. MCCRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reno, in the county of Washoe and State of Nevada, have invented a new and useful Im- Devices for Explo- Siva-Engines, of whi'c the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to sparking mechanism for internal explosion engines, and has for its object to provide an improved selfcleaning spark-forming device which will prevent the engine from bein stalled on. account of the fouling of spark plugs and which will operate with reliability on high speed motors such as are used on racing automobiles, fast motor boats and especially 5 on aeroplanes where at times the motor is forced to work upside down and the oil ettin on the plugs and formi carbon has ereto ore been a source of trou le.

A special object is to provide a sparkforming device which may be covered or rotected from the gases in the cylinder during part of the exp osion stroke and most of the exhaust stroke, thus insuring said sparkforming device being kept clean and free from soot and carbon.

Another object is to provide a plurality of sparking devices one of which 15 protected from the interior of the cylinder during part of the cycle, as stated, so that it will insure the proper formation of the spark even if the exposed sparking device should become fouled.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with the accompanyin drawings, which constitute part of this specification and thenmore specifically defined in the claims at the end of the description.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters areused to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the, upper end portion of an engine cylinder equip ed with m improved sparking de vice,t eintake an exhaust valves being also shown.

Fig. 2 is an inner end view of the sparkin% valve head.

ig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the lower end portion of the cage for the sparking valve, inverted, showing the valve seat and circular sparking wire; and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV- IV of Fig. 1, looking at the inner surface of the upper end of the cylinder.

he cylinder 1 is preferably rovided with passages 2 in its sides and hea for the circulation of cooling water. Asshown in the drawings, the intake valve 3 and exhaust valve 4 are of the puppet type and are fitted in cages 5 and 6, respectively, removably held in the cylinder head by jam nuts 7 and 8. The cylinder head may be-either flat or dome shaped, and the valves may be arranged at an angle to each other, if desired, without afiecting theinvention.

, The sparking device comprises a puppet valve 9, also fitted in a cage 10 removably held in the cylinder head b%!a jam nut 11. The metal cap 12 against w ichthe rocker arm (not shown) acts for opening the s ark valve 9 at the proper times, is insulated rom the valve stem 13, as at 14, Fig. 1. The valve stem is also fitted with an insulatin covering 15 extending into the cage 10'an terminating at a piston 16 mounted on the valve stem and fitted with piston rings 17 to work in the cage. The valve 9 is normally held upon its seat 18 at the inner end of the cage 10 by a coiled spring 19 arranged in the cage around the valve'stem 13 and having its opposite ends fastened to the piston and to the outer end portionpf the cage in any suitable manner so that when the valve 9 has been pressed inward against the action of the spring, as shown in Fig. 1, and is released, said spring will immediately close said valve again on its seat. The piston 16 is also insulated from the valve stem 13, as indicated at 20 in Fig. 1. The size of the spark valve 9 may be varied to produce the best results.

The valve 9 is dome shaped and has a drain tip 21 for facilitating the drainingof oil oil of said valve. The valve seat 18 is provided with a sharp edge over which the margin of the valve fits, there .being lugs 22 on said margin to fit the outer face of said sharpened valve seat for preventing -oi-l from entering the cage 10 when the valve is closed. Alternating with said lugs 22 around the margin of the valve 9 are sparking lugs 23wh1ch extend outward near to a circular sparking1 wire 24 depending from. the inner end of t e cage 10 on supporting wires 25. The lugs tute one sparking ,e

23 and wire 24 constivice which Will be called the exposed sparking device, valve being included in a sparking circuit through conducting wires 26 and 27 connected respectively to a binding 0st 28 on the cage and an arm 29 on the va ve stem.

Another sparking device, which may properly be called a safety or protected sparking device, comprises a series of wires 30 mounted on the inner surface of the valve 9, and another series of wires 31 on the in side of the valve seat on the cage, said wires 30 and 31 being adapted to form a jump gap and to be inclosed in spark chamber at the inner end of the cage and thus protected from the gases in the cylinder when the valve 9 is closed.

The valve 9 and its seat 18 are arranged below the intake valve and its seat but adjacent thereto, so that when a fresh charge of fuel is drawn into the cylinder through said intake valve, part of said charge will pass through and around the two sparking devices, that is, both the exposed and the incloscd sparking devices, thereby cleaning the cage and out any soot that may have attached itself to the sparking wires or lugs. To insure the passage of some of the incoming charge of gas through the spark chamber in the cage 10 between the valve 9 and the piston 16 where the inclosed or safety sparking device is arranged, a by-pass 32 may extend from the seat 33 of the intake valve 3 to the spark chamber in the cage 10. A considerable portion of the incoming gas is directed to the spark chamber by the further providing of guides 34 formed on the inner surface of the cylinder head and extending downwardly therefrom at opposite sides of the intake and spark valves, as best shown in Fig. 4. These guides preferably conform generally to the shape of the valves, having curved inner face portions extending from the ends to central protruding ribs 35, and give free passage to gas with least resistance.

Passages 2 for the circulation of the cooling water may extend into these guides, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

It will be understood that the piston rings 17 will prevent any of the-charge from escaping pastthe piston 16, and that when the valve 9 is closed during part of the explosion stroke and most of the exhaust stroke, the safety sparking wires 30 and 31 are inclosed in the cage 10 and protected from the soot or carbon formed by the burning of the oil in the cylinder. Such of the gases as may be inclosed in the space. at the lower end of the cage 10 at that time will be cleared out by the next charge of gas passing through this space. The intake valve when closed prevents escape through the by-pass.

In the operation of an engine equipped with my improved sparking mechanism, the spark puppet valve 9 opens as the piston (not shown) nears the cylinder head on the compression stroke, and the sparks are formed by both the exposed and safety sparking devices on the outside and on the inside of the cage 10. After the flame has been started in-the cylinder, the spark valve 9 closes by means of the spring 19 and re mains closed throughout the working stroke of the motor. The exhaust valve of course opens during the return or exhaust stroke of the piston and the cylinder is emptied. Both the spark and intake valves open on the intake stroke and the suction of the piston on account of the guides 34 extending between and at the sides of the valves causes a large portion of the incoming gas to pass through the spark chamber in the bottom of the cage 10. cleaning the sparking wires and lugs thoroughly and driving out any dead exhaust gas. also creating a suction through the by-pass and cleaning it and the spark chamber. The intake and spark valves may both be closed while the gas is compressed or the spark valve may be left .open, according to the desire of the constructing engineer.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a movable sparking device adapted to be shut oil from the cylinder during part of the explosion stroke and most of the exhaust stroke of the engine.

2. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a. cylinder, of a spark chamber, a movable sparking device in said chamber, and means for closing said chamber to the cylinder during part of the explosion stroke and most of the exhaust stroke of the engine.

3. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a spark chan'iber, a valve for closing said chamber to the cylinder, and a sparking device arranged on said valve and movable into said chamber.

4. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a spark chamber, a valve forclosing said chamber, and a sparking device mounted on said valve.

5. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder and intake valve, of a spark chamber, a sparking device in said chamber, a valve to close said chamber to the cylinder, and a by-pass from the intake valve to said spark chamber for the purpose specified. Y

6. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder and intake valve, of a spark chamber, a valve for clos-.

ing device arranged on said valve, and a by-pass from the intake valve to said spark chamber for the purpose specified.

7. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder and intake valve, of another valve arrangedv near the intake valve, and a sparking device carried by said second valve and disposed in the path of the incoming gas from the intake 8. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder and intake valve, of another valve arranged near the intake valve and at a lower level in the cylinder, and a sparking second valve and disposed in the path of the incoming gas from the intake valve for the purpose specified.

9. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder and intake valve, of another valve intake valve, a sparkin device by said valve, and means or guiding part of the incoming gas fnom' the intake valve through and around said sparking device and valve for cleaning the same.

10. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder and intake valve, of another valve arranged near the intake valve, a sparking device'carried. by said valve, and guides on the cylinder extending at the sides of the intake and spark valves for directing part of the incoming gas from the intake valve through and valve for the purpose specified.

around said sparking device and valve for.

the purposespecifield.

11. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a spark chamber, a sparking device in said chamber, a puppet valve for closing-said chamber to the inside of the cylinder, and a piston on the stemnof said valve for closing said chamber to the outside of the cylinder.

12. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, 0i a plurality of sparking devices, andmeans for shutting off one of said sparking devices from the cylinder during part of the explosion stroke and most of the exhaust-stroke of the engine.

13. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a dome shaped puppet valve having'a drip tip, and a sparking device mounted on said valve.

-14 In an internal explosion engine, the

combination with a cylinder, of a. dome shaped puppet valve, a sharp edged seat for said valve, portions of the periphery of said valve being \turned to fit the outer slmface of said seat and constituting (hip lugs for device carried by said near preventin oil from entering the seat, and a sparking evice also carried by the valve.

15. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a domeshaped puppet valve, a sharp edged seat for said valve, portions of the periphery of said valve being turned to fit the outer surface of said seat and constituting drip lugs for preventing oil from entering said seal, and sparking lugs on said valve alternating with said drip lugs.

16. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a pu et valve, sparln'ng lugs on valve, an a sparking wire surrounding said valve and.

arranged equidistant from all of the sparking lugs thereon.

17. In an internal ex losion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a puppet valve, a sparking device carried thereby, a. cage for the valve, a sparking device carried by the cage, means for insulating the valve from the cage when the valve is open, and means of electric connection with the said valve and cage.

18. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a puppet valve, a sparking device carried thereby, a cage for the valve, a sparking device carried by the cage, a piston on the valve stem and working in the cage, means for insulating the piston from the valve stem, and means of electric connection with said valve and cage.

19. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a puppet valve, a sparking device carried thereby, a cage for the valve, a sparking .device carried by the cage, a piston on the valve stem and working in the'cage, means for insulating the piston from the valvestem, means for insulating the valve stem from the cage, and means of electric connection with said valve and cage.

20. In an internal explosion engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a spark chamber, a valve to close said chamber to the cylinder, a seat for said valve, sparking deviceson the inside and outside of said seat, and sparking devices mounted on the inside and outside of said valve.

21. In an internal ex losion engine the combination with a oy 'nder and intake valve, of: a spark chamber, a sparking device in said chamber, a valve to close said chamber to the cylinder, a by-pw from the 'in- I HARRY F. MOCRAY, 

